Which? Every month, we compare how much the UK's biggest supermarkets charge for a trolley of groceries, including everything from bread to toothpaste. Yes, they are more expensive than the big supermarkets, but all are far . ", In addition to a price comparison, the survey also tested the store chain rivals on their service levels, on-shelf availability of products and the overall shopping experience, Get email updates with the day's biggest stories. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. Lidl and Aldi werent included as customer shoppers couldnt manage to find a full online shop for them due to how high their turnover of stock is. Sometimes I'll get papayas reduced to below apple prices. He has this month launched the first salvo of a record 100 million price-cutting campaign covering a third of Waitrose's 900-strong Essentials range. This included a greater selection of branded items, such as Branston baked beans and Kleenex tissues, that aren't always available in the discounter supermarkets. You will not struggle for clothes. At the other end of the scale, upmarket Waitrose was over 10 more expensive than Aldi, at 31.56. Our 18-item basket cost 23.55 at the discounter. As well as analysing prices each month, we do a whole-year look each January and, according to our analysis, Aldi was the cheapest supermarket in 2021. Both are more than 2 cheaper than bronze placed Asda, Which's? It was just that bit smaller and looked more High Street. We also compared the cost of a larger trolley of 149 items (the original 48 plus 101 more). Lidl was the cheapest supermarket in August 2021. Are investors underestimating the impact of rate rises? Ocado is Waitroses online delivery service which turned out to be more expensive than visiting Waitrose in-store. The study showed that Sainsbury was cheapest at 17.44 with Tesco in second place at 18.28. Despite being seen by many as 'expensive', Waitrose has generally held its own as the rise of discounters Aldi and Lidl in recent years has reshaped the grocery landscape. I just prefer a better shopping experience and decent quality food. Waitrose was 51.33 more expensive than Asda, coming in at 406.95, on average, for the same trolley of goods. We also compared a larger trolley of 68 groceries, made up of the original 23, plus 45 more. The range and quality of the foods sold is without equal (among high st supermarkets). However, whats more is that visiting Waitrose rather than ordering online may actually be cheaper than Tesco. Asda (Asda.com) was the cheapest supermarket for this trolley, continuing its streak (starting in January 2020) as the cheapest traditional supermarket. No, not the election but Channel 5 documentary M&S vs Waitrose: Which is Better Value? We also compared the cost of a larger trolley of 152 items (the original 47 plus 105 more). You don't go to Waitrose for Heinz beans or HP Sauce unless you're rolling in it. There's one near us that we go to if we want something special, or sometimes on Fridays to buy fish. Sales at Primark's 419 stores have held up better than expected and should rise 16% to 4.2bn in the half-year to 4 March, the company told investors on Monday . Waitrose came out as the most expensive supermarket to buy the 85 items in question, with the final bill a hefty 181.64, which is over 21 pricier than at Lidl. The Aldi shop came in at 10.06, a little over my 10 budget, whereas I paid 19.08 at Waitrose for an almost identical basket - a difference of 9.02 My only gripe is that they only ever seem to have three checkouts maximum open at any time. Unsurprisingly, the discounters took the top two cheapest slots in the table. Lidl (Lidl.co.uk) was the cheapest supermarket in February 2022, with our basket of 23 groceries costing an average of 24.21. We used to only include branded products in our trolley. In contrast, the same basket was 31.85 at Waitrose - the most expensive supermarket. Aldi and Lidl kept their prices low in January, and were joint cheapest for the month, with our trolley of 19 items coming in at 18.45 at both discounters. The product range would benefit from more affordable family products to enable those with families to complete their weekly shop. We were unable to include Aldi and Lidl when we checked April supermarket prices because of lockdown. They don't play music to gee me up, they're friendly, they have time for customers, they sell nice ham, the bread is lovely, they carry lines the other local supermarkets don't, aisles are wide, free fresh ground coffee and newspapers if you want them. All eyes will be on Tesco next week for its preliminary annual results. The same or equivalent items from the most expensive supermarket, Waitrose, would have cost. Which was the cheapest supermarket in January 2023? So far so samey. Most expensive was Waitrose, costing 21.22 more than Asda for the same or equivalent items. Product quality Whole Foods, to me, generally offer better quality products between the two, particularly for products revolving around ethical living. This means that Asda was the cheapest 'traditional' (or non-discounter) supermarket every month in 2022, as well as January 2023. This is the third time in a row that Asda has topped the table for the most affordable weekly shop. Asda, at 299.78, was by far the cheapest of the traditional supermarkets. > Compare the best investing platform for you. Meanwhile, the same or equivalent items from the priciest supermarket Waitrose would have cost 34.79 over 10 more. . But surprisingly in third place was upmarket Waitrose on 19.99. For a bigger shop like this, grocery prices at Sainsbury's and Morrisons were similar, with just 1.50 separating them. Are you allowing your bank to rip you off? Get a firmer grip on your finances with the expert tips in our Money newsletter it's free weekly. "If you do it [early on], you won't notice it as much and you're able to fine tune [lifestyle creep] easier and quicker," says Wasserman . Aldi (Aldi.co.uk) was the cheapest overall for August with our shop costing 76.24 on average, beating rival discounter Lidl (Lidl.co.uk) by 1.66. Trade magazine The Grocer checked out standalone forecourt convenience stores owned by the Co-op, M&S Simply Food, Morrisons Daily, Sainsbury's Local, Tesco Express and a Little Waitrose. This included a greater selection of branded items, such as Branston baked beans and Kleenex tissues, that aren't always available in the discounter supermarkets. Asda (Asda.com) was the cheapest supermarket for this shop, continuing its streak (starting in January 2020) as the cheapest traditional supermarket. I did the same shop at Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury, Morrisons and Waitrose online. Earlier this year, it announced plans to cut its prices to match those of its competitor, Tesco. Aldi (Aldi.co.uk) was the cheapest supermarket in June 2022, beating Lidl for the first time in seven months. Yummy mummies and stuck up old cows are the worst. Not going full 'artisanal', but stuff like Jackson's Champion range. It is also clearly still going after the more premium end of the market with a 60 minimum spend, compared to 40 on Ocado. Aldi was crowned the cheapest supermarket in November 2021, with our range of 23 grocery products costing an average of 24.64. Waitrose actually has a Tesco price match on branded products. Two jaded British institutions going head to head, desperately competing for your approval. Online-based Ocado averaged 329,000 orders in the first quarter with an average order size of 147, but unlike other retailers, it does not expect a summer boom of returning to work, which could help maintain increased online orders. So Ive been living in the UK for more than 3 years now, and I keep seeing Brits on TV and sometimes in real life making fun of each other for shopping at Waitrose because its so posh. Maybe it's just the way I shop but I really don't see much price difference between the two. The cheapest convenience store on Britain's garage forecourts has now been revealed. As well as analysing prices each month, we do a whole-year look each January and, according to our analysis, Aldi was the cheapest supermarket in 2022. Elsewhere, the pink lady apples at Waitrose were 2.50, but at . Trade magazine The Grocer looked at the price of everyday items in the six leading chains to work out who offers the best value. We also compared a larger trolley of 79 items, made up of the original 20, plus 59 more. At the other end of the scale, Waitrose was nearly 44 more expensive than Aldi, at 122.47. We also compared a jumbo shopping trolley packed with 175 items (the original 78, plus 97 more), which included a greater selection of branded items available at the traditional supermarkets. In contrast, the same basket was 101.14 at Waitrose - the most expensive supermarket. For more information, please see our for some of the least expensive supermarkets." M&S chief operating officer and food . Um, so. We look at a huge range of food and household essentials, but for our whole year analysis we only included things that we could get at least 100 days worth of data for at all eight supermarkets. In this trolley we compared 78 items, a combination of own-label and branded groceries. M&S food would come a close second. The selection of 85 items includes a greater selection of branded products, like Branston baked beans and Kleenex tissues, that are not always available in the discounter supermarkets like Aldi and Lidl, Which? Amusing to see them walk around in their dubarrys and barbours then watching them get in 05 plate Mondeos outside. The process can be long and expensive anywhere between $500 and $50,000 each year and this has to be reappraised every three years. The same shop at online-only Ocado would have cost the most at 131.03, nearly 10 more than Asda. Read more about Waitrose's commitment to being more sustainable Conclusion. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. It's worth the membership cost if you're taking full advantage. Supermarkets have benefited from being able to remain open throughout the pandemic and have seen a surge in online orders over the past year. Getting branded stuff is pointless, but bread, meat, eggs, veg is pretty much as good as youre going to get from a supermarket. Here's how our trolley of groceries stacked up at each of the UK's biggest supermarkets: We also compared a shopping trolley packed with 86 items (the original 19, plus 67 more). The price of 20 items, including own-brand apples, eggs and tomatoes and other branded staples like Hovis wholemeal bread, came in at 22.48 at Lidl. Best Buy food and drink: Which? Ocado therefore may not be as expensive as you may think on everyday own brand items. Rival discounter Lidl was 4.46 more expensive, which is an unusually large difference between the two discounters. Lidl is the cheapest supermarket for a basket of 20 frequently purchased items from the supermarket by just 3p, research shows, revealing just how tight the competition is at the top. told This is Money: 'Many households have felt the pinch during the pandemic, and your weekly shop can have a significant impact on your wallet, so getting value for money has become more important than ever. Its German discount rival Aldi was second. But he's not sitting idly by. The cheapest supermarket in November was Aldi, with a small trolley of 22 items costing just 21.28, while Asda was the cheapest big four supermarket, with our trolley rolling in at 23.94. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. That helps us fund This Is Money, and keep it free to use. I've got a choice of Waitrose or Tesco in my town, and I definitely prefer Waitrose. Save a little more. This included a greater selection of branded items, such as Branston baked beans and Flash cleaning spray, that weren't available in the discounter supermarkets. Aldi (Aldi.co.uk) was the cheapest overall for our shop consisting of 48 popular groceries, costing 75.79, on average, beating rival discounter Lidl (Lidl.co.uk) by 1.89. No, not the election but Channel 5 documentary M&S vs Waitrose: Which is Better Value? We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. , updated Sainsbury's was the cheapest non-discounter supermarket in 2019. analysis. To make sure the analysis was fair, it was own brand items which were analysed and used to compare to different supermarkets because branded items can come in a lot more expensive. Aldi (Aldi.co.uk) was the cheapest overall for our shop consisting of 48 popular groceries, costing 81.63 on average and beating rival discounter Lidl (Lidl.co.uk) by 1.61. Privacy Policy. Lidl was the cheapest supermarket for February 2021, with our trolley of 19 items coming in at 19.13. The discounter was the cheapest supermarket in our analysis for seven out of 12 months in 2022, more than any other supermarket. Waitrose has a reputation for an upmarket food offer with a strong focus on product quality and provenance. Asda, at 181.69, was the cheapest supermarket for September and pipped its next closest rival (Sainsbury's) by 7.50. Asda, at 165.42, was by far the cheapest of the traditional supermarkets. Then the rest fight over third place. We tracked the prices of 53 popular products sold in the six online supermarkets across the whole of 2019 and found that Sainsbury's was the cheapest. Not everything is more expensive in Waitrose so it's worth keeping an eye on prices. UK supermarket chain Waitrose and online grocery . June saw the return of Aldi and Lidl to our analysis after a brief Covid-related pause (as we had temporarily been unable to send fieldworkers out to stores). Lidl was the cheapest supermarket for March 2021, with our trolley of 20 items costing 22.48. Asda was the cheapest of the non-discounter supermarkets, coming out on top every month across 2021. The cheapest was Asda (Asda.com), continuing its streak (starting in January 2020) as the cheapest traditional supermarket. Waitrose is the 6 th largest retail store in the United Kingdom with more than 228 stores across the region, giving it a market share of 4.3%. Of the grocers we were able to compare (Asda, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury's, Tesco, and Waitrose), Asda was the cheapest supermarket, with a trolley of 178 items costing 279.54. Surprisingly, Ocado only worked out to be just 5 more expensive than Tesco on 43 everyday items. . You can learn more about cookies by visiting our privacy & cookies policy page. It offered the lowest price for 18 of the products included in the study, such as Heinz Beanz & Sausages and little gem lettuce. Im quite happy to pay a bit more for stuff and get better quality produce and have a pleasant shopping experience. At Christmas its amazing their pate and stuff is brilliant and the treat stuff is totally worth it. Use Favourites. Value of private property in Britain tops 6TRILLION for the first time on record as equity release products surge. At 152.67, Asda was the cheapest of the month, charging 6.87 less than its nearest rival Sainsburys (159.54). More info. Waitrose's tortilla chips were great value, and beat Doritos Credit: Gary Stone. We also compared a larger trolley of 79 items, comprising the original 22, plus 57 more. The fresh bread and cake section was also good.The range of soap and bath gel was good. In total, the M&S basket on Ocado cost 43.84, while the more expensive Waitrose shop was 46.58 - enough of a saving to buy a 550g block of M&S . Prepare for peak pothole season! DON'T MISS:The cheapest supermarket in the UK revealed - how to shop for lessSupermarket deals: Cheap grocery offers from Aldi, Asda, Lidl, Morrisons and TescoLidl offers: Special buys available this week. Many Which? . It's more expensive than the highest priced breakfast on offer at other major supermarkets such as Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Asda and M&S. The Waitrose store in St Georges Place in Canterbury was our location of choice and upon arrival, the caf was pretty busy with most of the 16 tables available being occupied by other customers. Ocado is now valued at 21.7bn, more than Tesco's 21.1bn, despite having only a fraction of the UK grocery market share. At the end of the spectrum, the final bill for the same basket of 20 goods at Waitrose was 7 more expensive than at Lidl, coming in at 29.77. The 'Waitrose effect': when a property is worth significantly more due to its proximity to a store Two jaded British institutions going head to head, desperately competing for your approval. Yes because going to Tesco is like hanging out at the council estate social club. Asda was the cheapest of the traditional supermarkets. We compared prices across 186 grocery items and found that, on average, shoppers would have paid 291.67 at Asda 19.51 less than at its nearest rival Morrisons. The comments below have not been moderated. The cheapest was Asda (Asda.com), continuing its streak (starting in January 2020) as the cheapest traditional supermarket. A shopping basket of nine everyday items of food and drink at Sainsbury's Local was 7 cheaper than the most expensive store tested in a survey of six leading chains. Waitrose is a high-class chain of stores in the United Kingdom and mainly deals in food products and grocery. Their staff are likewise incomparably better and it's all round a more pleasant experience. Press J to jump to the feed. In calculating the costs for a basket of 20 goods or a trolley load of 85 items, Which? Asda (Asda.com) cost the least with this trolley of groceries, continuing its streak, which started in January 2020, as the cheapest traditional supermarket. Meanwhile, the same or equivalent items from the priciest supermarket Waitrose would have cost 33.71. Customers shopping would have cost 144 there, however this was only slightly more than at Tesco (140) and Morrisons (143). UK bread is the best in the world hands down. We also looked at a larger trolley of 156 items (the original 52 plus 104 more). Big If you're feeding a crowd or planning a special celebration, our made to order range will make stress-free celebrations simple yet stylish. Waitrose was 44.56 more expensive than Asda, coming in at 392.94, on average, for the same trolley of goods. Overall, Waitrose was 9 more expensive. When you click on a retailer link, we may earn affiliate commission, which helps fund our not-for-profit mission. We also compared a larger trolley of 70 groceries, made up of the original 22, plus 48 more. Most of this is based on online prices, but for Aldi and Lidl (which don't sell their full ranges online) we send fieldworkers out to stores to see how much each item costs each day. One of my favorites in my personal library which I'm very proud of it is more expensive maybe than a subscription to my way better . In the price comparison I did, the items mostly worked out mostly more expensive than Waitrose - with the full shop just over 20 more than the supermarket - although some items did work out . A. We also analysed the cost of a larger trolley of 149 items (the original 48, plus 101 more). 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Waitrose has a Tesco price match on branded products ordering online may actually be cheaper than bronze placed,! The pandemic and have a pleasant shopping experience cost of a larger trolley of 149 items the... Stuff and get better quality produce and have a pleasant shopping experience and decent quality food of items! Earlier this year, it announced plans to cut its prices to match of. Ocado is Waitroses online delivery service Which turned out to be more expensive than Tesco 43. Think on everyday own brand items same shop at online-only ocado would have cost shop but I do! ( Asda.com ), continuing its streak ( starting in January 2020 as!